Dear Son
I write you from beautiful Spring in Arlington, Virginia. Under a cool 18 degrees clear skies, one can see the memorials of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln in the distance.
As a cadet, I had jogged inumerous times through the shortcuts from Fort Lesley McNair to the read the inscriptions of individual headstones. Purple Hearts, Medal of Valour, Civil War Heroes, Challenger plaque; how young they when died ! How brave they were !
Arlington reminded me of the fragility of life, the certainty of our mortal coil and the definitive time we shall meet our maker. These young boys, knowing that death would eventually befall them in battles, joined combat for the greater causes that transcended worldly possessions. The volley of rifle shots, hymns and the accompanying band during a military funeral bequeath me á sense of inner calm and inspiration. This has always been the favourite place for me.
I have not been the most perfect father, but the most joyous decision that I had made was to enrol you into ACS. What makes ACSians different? What makes those Arlington boys special?
My professor, who is a foremost military strategies thinker, knows much about your school. I have often shared with him how Oldham, an Indian born British-American missionary of the United States Methodist Episcopal Church founded ACS to be a place of refugee for young illiterate boys in Chinatown and to teach English to all regardless of race, creed or class.
In those days, Chinatown was the first stop for immigrants from China. It was not a safe place. Crime-laden, rats-infested and opium den-populated; a far cry from the Padang area where the British setup an elite school to train young mandarins as future local administrators to perpetuate colonial rule and to pacify the local population.
Your grandfather was a young immigrant from China. First enrolled with ACS Continuation School (Coleman Street) and then Oldham Methodist School (Cairnhill), he learned English by night and repaired bicycles by day in Hill Street. Later he succeeded in gaining a chartered accountant qualification and rose through the ranks of a large local bank.
Your father, me, was initially to be enrolled in a Chinese school in Queen Street. Grandpa was a Chinese culture and language loyalist. But he judged the British-trained local administrators would surely, at independence, demolish the Chinese system schools as part of power play.
As well, for Singapore to succeed as a young nation, we must be the best of East and West. The “Anglo” and the “Chinese” in your school name exemplified this view succinctly. The school name did not celebrate or worship any colonialist. ACS was a reach-out and outreach by Westerners to Orientals. Me and your uncle were registered for ACPS in Coleman Street across the road from the old shop houses where grandpa earlier worked. Over 6 years, we commuted from Tanglin Halt to Coleman Street and later Barker Road (ACSS).
Before I heave a last breath and take the train to glory, like all eventually would, I like to pen down for and to you what makes ACSians different. The following points might appear to be religious-driven; the ACS brand of education (an ecosystem of dedicated teachers, old boys and girls, chapel worship service, sermons, camaraderie and school leaders) underlies the fundamental difference between ACSians and non-ACSians.
more at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/04/letter-from-acs-father-to-his-acs-son.html
I write you from beautiful Spring in Arlington, Virginia. Under a cool 18 degrees clear skies, one can see the memorials of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln in the distance.
As a cadet, I had jogged inumerous times through the shortcuts from Fort Lesley McNair to the read the inscriptions of individual headstones. Purple Hearts, Medal of Valour, Civil War Heroes, Challenger plaque; how young they when died ! How brave they were !
Arlington reminded me of the fragility of life, the certainty of our mortal coil and the definitive time we shall meet our maker. These young boys, knowing that death would eventually befall them in battles, joined combat for the greater causes that transcended worldly possessions. The volley of rifle shots, hymns and the accompanying band during a military funeral bequeath me á sense of inner calm and inspiration. This has always been the favourite place for me.
I have not been the most perfect father, but the most joyous decision that I had made was to enrol you into ACS. What makes ACSians different? What makes those Arlington boys special?
My professor, who is a foremost military strategies thinker, knows much about your school. I have often shared with him how Oldham, an Indian born British-American missionary of the United States Methodist Episcopal Church founded ACS to be a place of refugee for young illiterate boys in Chinatown and to teach English to all regardless of race, creed or class.
In those days, Chinatown was the first stop for immigrants from China. It was not a safe place. Crime-laden, rats-infested and opium den-populated; a far cry from the Padang area where the British setup an elite school to train young mandarins as future local administrators to perpetuate colonial rule and to pacify the local population.
Your grandfather was a young immigrant from China. First enrolled with ACS Continuation School (Coleman Street) and then Oldham Methodist School (Cairnhill), he learned English by night and repaired bicycles by day in Hill Street. Later he succeeded in gaining a chartered accountant qualification and rose through the ranks of a large local bank.
Your father, me, was initially to be enrolled in a Chinese school in Queen Street. Grandpa was a Chinese culture and language loyalist. But he judged the British-trained local administrators would surely, at independence, demolish the Chinese system schools as part of power play.
As well, for Singapore to succeed as a young nation, we must be the best of East and West. The “Anglo” and the “Chinese” in your school name exemplified this view succinctly. The school name did not celebrate or worship any colonialist. ACS was a reach-out and outreach by Westerners to Orientals. Me and your uncle were registered for ACPS in Coleman Street across the road from the old shop houses where grandpa earlier worked. Over 6 years, we commuted from Tanglin Halt to Coleman Street and later Barker Road (ACSS).
Before I heave a last breath and take the train to glory, like all eventually would, I like to pen down for and to you what makes ACSians different. The following points might appear to be religious-driven; the ACS brand of education (an ecosystem of dedicated teachers, old boys and girls, chapel worship service, sermons, camaraderie and school leaders) underlies the fundamental difference between ACSians and non-ACSians.
more at https://www.domainofexperts.com/2015/04/letter-from-acs-father-to-his-acs-son.html
